Miniaturized electric cord reel

ABSTRACT

An improved electric cord reel construction is provided that is characterized by its miniature size. The simplified, relatively small structure is lightweight, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and assemble. The principal component part of the reel is preferably molded from plastic and has combined features normally supplied by additional, different parts secured together by various fasteners, thereby avoiding in the present structure the usual overall heavy, relatively bulky assembly. In one form, this component comprises a unitary, cup-shaped member which is so compactly designed as to include a hub portion on which an electric cord reel is wound, a flange for guiding the deposition of the cord, commutator rings to receive and transmit electrical energy to the cord, a bearing for mounting a shaft around which the unitary member relatively rotates, and a housing for a coiled spring adapted to maintain the reel in a home position. The cupshaped member receives and supports a second flange in spaced relation to its own flange, preferably at a spaced apart distance substantially equal to the width of a single electric cord.

United States Patent [191 Blanch et al.

Feb. 6, 1973 [54] MINIATURIZED ELECTRIC CORD REEL [75] Inventors:Charles H. Blanch, Maple Heights; James W. Kovacik, Parma, both of Ohio[73] Assignee: Alert Stamping & Mfg. Co., Inc.,

Bedford Heights, Ohio [22] Filed: March 15, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 124,328

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No.859,701, Sept. 22,

1969, Pat. No. 3,619,518.

[52] U.S. Cl. ..19l/l2.2 R, 242/107 R, 242/107.6 [51] Int. Cl. ..H02g11/00 [58] Field of Search .....19l/l2.2 R, 12.4; 242/107 R, 242/107.6

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,182,139 5/1965 Melitti..l9l/l2.4 3,011,033 11/1961 Belickaetal... ..191/12.2R 2,555,560 6/1951Timm ..l9l/l2.2 R 2,920,393 l/l960 Schoenfeldt. ...242/107 R 2,374,4574/1945 Reeves ..242/107 R larla'llally Primary Examiner-Gerald M.Forlenza Assistant Examiner-George H. Libman Att0rneyWesley B. Taylor[57] ABSTRACT An improved electric cord reel construction is providedthat is characterized by its miniature size. The simplified, relativelysmall structure is lightweight, relatively inexpensive to manufactureand assemble. The principal component part of the reel is preferablymolded from plastic and has combined features normally supplied byadditional, different parts secured together by various fasteners,thereby avoiding in the present structure the usual overall heavy,relatively bulky assembly. In one form, this component comprises aunitary, cup-shaped member which is so compactly designed as to includea hub portion on which an electric cord reel is wound, a flange forguiding the deposition of the cord, commutator rings to receive andtransmit electrical energy to the cord, a bearing for mounting a shaftaround which the unitary member relatively rotates, and a housing for acoiled spring adapted to maintain the reel in a home position. Thecup-shaped member receives and supports a second flange in spacedrelation to its own flange, preferably at a spaced apart distancesubstantially equal to the width of a single electric cord.

13 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEB 6|975 3,715,526 SHEET 20F 2INVENTORS CHARLES H. BLANCH JAIME? W KOVAC/K 6 Mk G r ATTORNEYSMINIATURIZED ELECTRIC CORD REEL CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONThis application is a continuation-in-part of an application filed inthe names of Charles H. Blanch and James W. Kovacik on Sept. 22, 1969,entitled Electric Cord Reel Construction, and assigned Ser. No. 859,7l,now U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,518.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to. electriccord reels and, more particularly, to miniaturized reels of improved,simplified structure embodying relatively lightweight, compact partsadapted for quick assembly.

Electric cord reels have been in use for many years, such as for payingout and receiving electric cord for lead lights, various electricalhousehold appliances like sweepers, and in general wherever insulatedelectric conductors are to be optionally extended and retracted withrespect to a relatively stationary point. While exterior designs mayvary, prior electric cord reels basically comprise a reel and'shaft,mounted to rotate relatively to each other; cooperating ratchet and pawlmeans carried by the shaft and reel, respectively, to arrest the turningof a reel at one of several selective rotary stations when the length ofthe cord paid out reaches a desired length; a coiled spring designed torotate the reel in a backward direction and rewind the cord onto-thereel when the ratchet and pawl. are disengaged; and electrical inputmeans including a'commutator and the insulated electrical cord itself.

To date, many parts of such reels have been individually fabricatedrequiring individual stampings for each. Further, since reels arecommonly hand-assembled, mass production techniques have been hamperedbecause relatively more parts must be secured, one to the other, in theprocess of building a complete unit. All of this complicates and rendersmore expensive the commercial production of the reel structures.

The problems of weight, bulk, and ease of assembly are furtheraccentuated when quite small reels are to be fabricated. Miniaturizedreels, for example, find ready application for use with such appliancesas toasters, electrical can openers, shavers, coffee pots, blenders, andother small home appliances.

It would, therefore, advance the art if an electric cord reel .of simpleconstruction were available and especially one of relatively'lightweightparts which, additionally, so combined the features and functions ofseveral parts of prior structures that mass assembly was appreciablyfacilitated and the reel could be fabricated in miniature form.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present electric cord reel, the numberof individual parts is reduced by uniquely combining in severalinstances parts of prior reelstructures and making them as one integralpart. Assembly is, therefore,

facilitated. Moreover, there is little or no need for soltended purpose.These features contribute to the realization of a miniaturized reelwhich can be as small as one inch in overall axial width.

In one form, the present electric cord reel comprises a unitaryconstruction member adapted to serve as a support for substantially theremaining parts of the reel. This construction member comprises agenerally cupshaped member having a substantially flat floor portionintegral with an outwardly extending wall portion. The floor portion hasan integral flange member which extends radially of the cup-shapedmember outwardly past the wall portion as well as a centrally locatedhollow tubular projection which extends substantially coaxially with thewall portion and defines a shaft bearing. Commutator rings are embeddedin the floor portion of the cup-shaped member on a side thereof remotefrom the wall portion. A second flange has a centrally located offsethousing of a size telescopically to engage and fit upon an outer end ofthe wall portion and space that flange from the flange of the cup-shapedmember a distance which is preferably equal to the width of an insulatedelectric cord.

The cup-shaped member contains a coiled spring designed to urge the reeltoward a wound or home position. A shaft rides within the shaft bearingof the cupshaped member and has a relatively fixed commutator contactblock adapted to contact the commutator rings in the floor portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings illustrate apresently preferred embodiment wherein:

FIG. 1 is a radial, cross-sectional view of an electric cord reelassembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a left-hand side elevational view of FIG. 1 with the outercasing or housing removed;

FIG. 3 is a right-hand side elevational view of FIG. 1 with the outercasing removed and illustrates the optional use of ratchet and pawlmeans;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the left-hand flange of the reel and itsattendant parts, as viewed in FIG. 1, with the ratchet and pawl means ofFIG. 3 shown in exploded view;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the right-hand flange. of the reel andits attendant parts, as viewed in FIG. I,v

but in reverse perspective alignment as compared to the perspective viewof its companion part of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the shaft of the reel;

FIG. 7 is a section of FIG. 6 onthe line 7-7; and

FIG. 8 is a right-hand view of FIG. 6 on the .plane of the line 8-8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, theembodiment illustrated includes a molded plastic, unitary, cup-shapedrespect to the thickness of the floor portion 11 extends in planaralignment with the floor portion radially outwardly of the tubular wallportion 12.

A pair of flatcommutator brass rings 16 and 17 is recessed directly intoa side of the floor portion 11 that is remote from the wall portion 12so as to be flush with that side. The rings are concentric with eachother and with the shaft bearing 14. Rings 16 and 17 have tabs 18 and19, respectively, which extends through the floor portion 11 and aresuitably attached to leads 21 of an insulated electric cord 22. The cordpasses through an opening 23 in the wall portion 12 of the cup-shapedmember and is then wound upon the outside of the wall portion, each turnof the cord lying atop of a preceding turn (FIG. 1). The end of the cord22 (not shown) may terminate in a conventional two-prong plug, electricjack, or the like.

A second flange member, generally indicated at 24,

includes a planar, radially extending flange 25 having a centrallylocated, circular housing 26 that is offset from the plane of the flangeand away from the cup-shapedmember 10 as those parts are mated (FIGS. 4and The flat back side of the housing 26 has a central opening 27 topass a shaft and a plurality of slots 28 near the circumference of theback side of the housing, the slots being of a number and distributionto register with and receive the tabs 13 from the outer end of the wallportion 12. A number of circumferentially spaced hooks 30 is punchedinwardly from the flat back side of the housing. i

The inside diameter of the housing 26 is only slightly oversized withrespect to the outside diameter of the tubular wall portion 12preferably to produce a tight fit between those parts. The axial depthor extent of the offset of housing 26 from the plane of the secondflange 25 is designed to place flange 25 a distance from flange 15 thatis substantially equal tothe width of an insulated electric-cord reel,when the cup-shaped member and second flange member 24 are assembled asshown in FIG. 1. This enables a neat, even looping of the cord, preventstangli g, and contributes to the miniature size of the reel. If desired,the openings 28 and tabs 13 may be dimensioned to providea tight,frictional press fit. I

In addition to reducing weight, another advantage of fabricating thecup-shaped member from a thermoplastic plastic is that the ends of thetabs 13 that extend'past the housing slots 28 can be melted and heatsealed against the exposed outside of the housing to secure the partstogether. Alternatively, other standard mechanical means can also beused. Depending upon the physical demands to be placed on the electriccord reel during use, flange 25 andits housing 26 can be either plasticor metal. When plastic, flange 25 can be of the same or differentplastic as that used for any of the other plastic parts of the reel.However, there is an advantage to making flange l5 and its integralparts including the wall portion 12 from a plastic to obtain readilytheir complicated shapes while contributing to the lightweightness ofthe reel and, at the same time, making the more simple flange andhousing structure generally shown at 24 from metal, such as galvanizedsheet metal. In combination with a plastic flange, a

metallic flange 25 rigidifies and strengthens the'overall assembly whilenot unduly adding to the overall weight.

FIGS. 1, 6, 7, and 8 illustrate an axially stepped, suecessivelynarrowing shaft 31 that may be used with the reel. In use, the shaft isstationary while the cup-shaped member 10 and flange member 24 revolvein unison around the shaft. One axial section 32 of the shaft is largestin cross-section and hasa diameter just undersized to pass throughopening 27 of housing 26 and seat against the outer end of the shaftbearing 14. Another axial section 33 of reduced cross-section ascompared to section 32 has the greatest axial length which correspondssubstantially to the length of the shaft bearing 14. A further axialsection 34 of reduced cross-section as compared to section 33 has a flatland 35 and passes through an opening 36 of like configuration in arectangular commutator contact block 37 (FIG. 2), the flat land 35 andmatching opening 36 preventing the block 37 from turning relatively totheshaft 31.

The commutator contact block 37 is fabricated from anon-electroconducting material such as a plastic and has a pair ofspacing ribs 38 (FIG. 2) between which two L-shaped metal tabs 40 areriveted. Electrical leads 41 supplying current to the reel areconventionally attached to the tabs 40. Rivets 42 which secure tabs 40to block 37 also attach the tabs to resilient contact brushes 43 and 44disposed along the back face of the block 37. Brush 43 contactscommutator ring 16, while brush 44 rides against commutator ring 17.

A spirally coiled spring 45 maintains the reel in a home position inwhich the cord 22 is completely wound around the wall portion 12. Theouter end of the cup-shaped member is recessed at 46 to form a seat forspring 45, so that it is substantially aligned radially of thecup-shaped member 10 with the telescoping parts of the wall portion 12and housing 26. A relatively thin, non-electrical conducting separatordisc 47 seats against the shoulder of the recess 46 ahead of the spring.One end of the spring 45 is caught within a slot 48 in section 32 of theshaft (FIG. 8). The other end of the spring engages the closest of thehooks 30 punched from the housing 26 and in this manner is secured withrespect to the cup-shaped member 10. The remaining Ratchet and pawlmeans are not required, since a.

relatively short pull on the cord provides sufficient length for mostapplications, and the spring-45 readily returns the reel and rewinds thecord when it is released. Should a ratchet and cooperating pawl'bedesired, however, these parts may be mounted on the shaft 31 and housing26 as illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 4. The particular ratchet and pawlcombination used does not form a part of the present invention and maybe any known in the art. For example, the ratchet and pawl structuresmay be those disclosed in Blanch and Olzak U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,623 or inBlanch and Olzak U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,369. In the embodimentillustrated,section 34 of shaft 31 has opposed lands 50 (FIG. 8) around which aratchet 51 is fixed as bya press fit. A rivet 52 rotatably secures apawl 53 to the back of the housing 26, and a coiled spring 54 connectsan ear 55 of the pawl 53 to a tab 56 formed on the back of the housingto urge the pawl 53 into engagement with teeth of the ratchet 51.

While, if desired, an electric cord reel may be used with only the partspreviously described in assembly and suitable electric means employed tosupply electrical energy to the rings 16 and 17 embedded in floorportion 11, it is preferable for reasons of safety and appearance toencase the electric cord reel together with the commutator contact block37 in a suitable housing having a peripheral opening through which cord22 may pass. The reel housing shown in the illustrated embodimentincludes a pair of cooperating, bowl-shaped outer sections 57 and 58(FIG. 1) held to the ends of shaft 31 by bolts 60 which engage threadedopenings at the ends of the shaft 31. An elastomeric band 61 has groovesalong its sides to receive the edges of the sections 57 and 58 andthereby complete the housing. Section 57 has openings to pass the metaltabs 40 of the commutator contact block, while a rivet 62 aids inholding the block 37 with respect to the section.

The present electric cord reel is easy to assemble, most parts fittingor connecting with the cup-shaped member 10. The reel is, therefore,well adapted for a production line technique. The number of rivets andbolts is substantially reduced. Soldering and welding are'virtuallyeliminated from the reel structure itself,

although in some instances the electrical leads 21 of the cord 22 may besoldered to the tabs 18 and 19 of the commutator rings 16 and 17. Thepresent reel so reduces the number of parts that due to the resultingreduced bulk and size, the reel can be made in miniaturized form, forexample, about 1 inch in axial length and about 4 inches in overalldiameter.

As used here and in the claims, the term plastic is taken to mean any ofthe well known, synthetic, organic, resinous polymers suitable formolding. As an example, such plastics may include the acrylic polymerssuch as polymethyl methacrylate; the cellulosic molding compounds suchas ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, andcellulose nitrate; polyethylene; polypropylene; polystyrene; polyvinylpolymers such as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinylacetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl butyral, and copolymers thereof;polyurethanes; melamine-formaldehyde and urea-formaldehyde moldingcompounds; phenol-formaldehyde and phenol-furfural molding compounds;polyesters; epoxy resins; polytetrafluorethylene; and the like.Polyamides such as nylon are preferred.

While the foregoing describes a presently preferred embodiment, it isunderstood that the invention may be practiced in still other formswithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In an electric cord reel, a unitary constructionmember adapted to serve as a support for substantially the remainingparts of the reel, said unitary constructionmember comprising agenerally cup-shaped member having a substantially flat floor portionintegral with an outwardly extending wall portion, said cup-shapedmember having a first flange member exgenerally planar flange memberhaving a housing offset from the plane of said second flange memberandfitted to said wall portion to space said flange member inwardly of theend of said wall portion, and a coiled spring contained within saidcup-shaped member, one end of the spring being adapted to be secured tosuch shaft within shaft bearing, and the other end of the spring beingsecured with respect to the cup-shaped member.

2. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which said cupshaped member isformed from a plastic material.

3. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which said second flange memberis metallic.

4. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which said commutator rings areembedded in said floor portion on a side thereof remote from said wallportion.

5. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which a shaft is mounted in saidhollow projection defining a shaft bearing for relative rotationtherewith, one end of the spring being secured to the shaft.

6. The electric cord reel of claim 5 in which the coiled spring issubstantially aligned radially of the cupshaped member with thetelescoping parts of said wall portion and housing, and the end of thecoiled spring which is secured with respect to the cup-shaped member issecured to hook means on said housing.

7. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which a shaft is mounted in saidhollow projection defining a shaft bearing for relative rotationtherewith and extends through said floor portion of the cup-shapedmember, and a commutator contact block is mounted on the shaft forrotation therewith relatively to said cupshaped member and adapted tocontact the commutator rings in said floor portion.

8. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which a shaft is mounted in saidhollow projection defining a shaft bearing for relative rotationtherewith and extends through said housing of said second flange member,ratchet means mounted on a part of the shaft so extending through thehousing, and pawl means mounted on said second flange memberfor'engagement with said ratchet means.

9. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which a shaft is mounted in saidhollow projection defining 'ashaft bearing for relative rotationtherewith, and said shaft has an axially offset portion to seat againstthe end of the hollow projection. I

10. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which the outer end of saidwall portion has a plurality of axially extending, circumferentiallyspaced tab portions, and said second flange member has openings adaptedto receive said tab portions to secure said parts together.

11. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which an inner periphery ofsaid wall member is recessed to provide a seat for said coiled spring.

12. In an electric cord reel, a unitary construction member adapted toserve as a support for substantially the remaining parts of the reel,said unitary construction member comprising agenerally cup-shapedplastic member having a substantially flat floor portion integral withan outwardly extending wall portion, said floor portion having anintegral first flange member extending radially of the cup-shaped memberoutwardly past the wall portion, and an essentially centrally locatedtubular projection extending substantially coaxially with the wallportion to define a shaft bearing,

shaft and the other end of the spring being secured with respect to thecup-shaped member, and a commutator contact block mounted on the shaftfor rotation therewith relative to the cup-shaped member and adapted tocontact the commutator rings in said floor portion.

13. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which said coiled spring isdisposed radially of said cup-shaped member and substantially flush withthe outer open end of the wall portion.

1. In an electric cord reel, a unitary construction member adapted toserve as a support for substantially the remaining parts of the reel,said unitary construction member comprising a generally cup-shapedmember having a substantially flat floor portion integral with anoutwardly extending wall portion, said cup-shaped member having a firstflange member extending radially outwardly past the wall portion, and anessentially centrally located hollow projection extending substantiallycoaxially with the wall portion and from the floor portion to define ashaft bearing adapted to receive a shaft, commutator rings secured tosaid floor portion of the cup-shaped member on a side thereof remotefrom said wall portion, a second, generally planar flange member havinga housing offset from the plane of said second flange member and fittedto said wall portion to space said flange member inwardly of the end ofsaid wall portion, and a coiled spring contained within said cup-shapedmember, one end of the spring being adapted to be secured to such shaftwithin shaft bearing, and the other end of the spring being secured withrespect to the cup-shaped member.
 1. In an electric cord reel, a unitaryconstruction member adapted to serve as a support for substantially theremaining parts of the reel, said unitary construction member comprisinga generally cup-shaped member having a substantially flat floor portionintegral with an outwardly extending wall portion, said cup-shapedmember having a first flange member extending radially outwardly pastthe wall portion, and an essentially centrally located hollow projectionextending substantially coaxially with the wall portion and from thefloor portion to define a shaft bearing adapted to receive a shaft,commutator rings secured to said floor portion of the cup-shaped memberon a side thereof remote from said wall portion, a second, generallyplanar flange member having a housing offset from the plane of saidsecond flange member and fitted to said wall portion to space saidflange member inwardly of the end of said wall portion, and a coiledspring contained within said cup-shaped member, one end of the springbeing adapted to be secured to such shaft within shaft bearing, and theother end of the spring being secured with respect to the cup-shapedmember.
 2. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which said cup-shapedmember is formed from a plastic material.
 3. The electric cord reel ofclaim 1 in which said second flange member is metallic.
 4. The electriccord reel of claim 1 in which said commutator rings are embedded in saidfloor portion on a side thereof remote from said wall portion.
 5. Theelectric cord reel of claim 1 in which a shaft is mounted in said hollowprojection defining a shaft bearing for relative rotation therewith, oneend of the spring being secured to the shaft.
 6. The electric cord reelof claim 5 in which the coiled spring is substantially aligned radiallyof the cup-shaped member with the telescoping parts of said wall portionand housing, and the end of the coiled spring which is secured withrespect to the cup-shaped member is secured to hook means on saidhousing.
 7. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which a shaft ismounted in said hollow projection defining a shaft bearing for relativerotation therewith and extends through said floor portion of thecup-shaped member, and a commutator contact block is mounted on theshaft for rotation therewith relatively to said cup-shaped member andadapted to conTact the commutator rings in said floor portion.
 8. Theelectric cord reel of claim 1 in which a shaft is mounted in said hollowprojection defining a shaft bearing for relative rotation therewith andextends through said housing of said second flange member, ratchet meansmounted on a part of the shaft so extending through the housing, andpawl means mounted on said second flange member for engagement with saidratchet means.
 9. The electric cord reel of claim 1 in which a shaft ismounted in said hollow projection defining a shaft bearing for relativerotation therewith, and said shaft has an axially offset portion to seatagainst the end of the hollow projection.
 10. The electric cord reel ofclaim 1 in which the outer end of said wall portion has a plurality ofaxially extending, circumferentially spaced tab portions, and saidsecond flange member has openings adapted to receive said tab portionsto secure said parts together.
 11. The electric cord reel of claim 1 inwhich an inner periphery of said wall member is recessed to provide aseat for said coiled spring.
 12. In an electric cord reel, a unitaryconstruction member adapted to serve as a support for substantially theremaining parts of the reel, said unitary construction member comprisinga generally cup-shaped plastic member having a substantially flat floorportion integral with an outwardly extending wall portion, said floorportion having an integral first flange member extending radially of thecup-shaped member outwardly past the wall portion, and an essentiallycentrally located tubular projection extending substantially coaxiallywith the wall portion to define a shaft bearing, commutator ringsembedded in said floor portion of the cup-shaped member on a sidethereof remote from said wall portion, a second generally planar flangemember having a substantially centrally located, offset housing of asize to telescope and tightly engage an outer end of said wall portionand space said second flange member from the first flange member adistance substantially equal to a width of an electric cord, a shaftmounted in said hollow projection for relative rotation therewith, acoiled spring contained within said cup-shaped member, one end of thespring being secured to the shaft and the other end of the spring beingsecured with respect to the cup-shaped member, and a commutator contactblock mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith relative to thecup-shaped member and adapted to contact the commutator rings in saidfloor portion.